Rivera, Jackson withdraw from Alaska House races after weak primary showings

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Aug. 23, 2026 – Two former elected officials have withdrawn from their respective Alaska House races after underperforming in Tuesday’s primary, narrowing the November contests in a Democrat-dominated Anchorage district and Republican-leaning Eagle River district.

Former Anchorage Assembly member Felix Rivera, a Democrat, withdrew from the House District 13 race after receiving fewer than three in 10 votes against Lisa Keller, a former legislative staffer for incumbent Rep. Andy Josephson.

Keller received 1,595 votes, or 71.8%, in the Aug. 18 primary. Rivera received 626 votes, or 28.2%, despite having represented Midtown Anchorage on the Assembly from 2017 until this year, when he was term-limited.

The two Democrats were competing for the solidly Democratic seat being vacated by longtime Rep. Josephson.

No Republican entered the race. Although both candidates could have advanced under Alaska’s top-four primary system, Rivera’s withdrawal prevents the Democratic vote from being divided and leaves Keller effectively unopposed in the Nov. 3 general election.

In House District 24, former Republican Rep. Sharon Jackson also ended her campaign following a third-place primary finish.

The Eagle River-area seat is being vacated by retiring Republican Rep. Dan Saddler and includes portions of Eagle River, Chugiak and the Eklutna Lake area.

Former Rep. Ken McCarty led the three-way Republican primary with 1,616 votes, or approximately 48.4%. Gina Wall, an Eagle River High School counselor and first-time candidate, received 1,101 votes, or about 33%. Jackson finished with 622 votes, or approximately 18.6%.

Jackson announced her withdrawal in a social media post and endorsed McCarty, leaving McCarty and Wall to compete in the general election.

Although Wall is registered as a Republican, her willingness to join a bipartisan coalition could become a central issue in the remaining campaign.

Wall said in a voter questionnaire that she is “open to working within any organizational structure, including a coalition,” as long as it gives her district a seat at the table and advances priorities such as fiscal responsibility and economic development.

Her campaign has also received $1,000 contributions from several organized-labor groups, including Laborers Local 341, the Employees Political Information Committee, the Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association, NEA-Alaska PACE and the SouthCentral Alaska Building and Construction Trades Council.

Such groups almost exclusively support Democrats or candidates willing to participate in bipartisan legislative coalitions, making the District 24 contest about more than the Republican label shared by both remaining candidates. The outcome could help determine whether Eagle River’s next representative supports a Republican-led House organization or joins a coalition that includes Democrats.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Jackson to the House in late 2018 after then-Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom was named commissioner of the Alaska Department of Corrections. Jackson served from 2019 until 2021 before losing the seat to McCarty in the 2020 election.

The withdrawals came while the Division of Elections continued counting ballots from the Aug. 18 primary. More than 133,000 votes had been tallied at the time of this report, with additional absentee, questioned and other ballots still outstanding.

Under Alaska’s election system, the top four primary candidates advance regardless of party. Ranked-choice voting is used in general-election contests with more than two candidates. Rivera’s withdrawal leaves only Keller in District 13, while Jackson’s departure reduces District 24 to a traditional two-candidate race between McCarty and Wall.